with Tracey

Years ago, when I wrote about the down dog position, I called it the poster child of an asana practice. It was the centerpiece of every flow sequence. Used, and sometimes abused by overuse, down dog is still a pose worthy of much appreciation. So I say, that old dog still hunts.

Adho mukha svanasana, downward-facing dog, is still a mainstay of my daily life. I love this posture and practice it almost every day whether I am doing a full practice, or no practice at all. This asana can bring everything into focus and balance. Accessing the long muscles of the body, down dog serves as both a daily check-in and check-up for me. The pose works on so many areas of the body simultaneously.

The downward-facing dog builds upper body strength, with the bonus of the bones in the arms benefiting from weight bearing. Muscles are toned. Bones are stimulated. I experience wonderful tension release throughout my whole body with this asana. The muscles supporting the neck, shoulders, spine, legs and back are both lengthened and strengthened, helping bring overall tension release. Leg tension along the hamstrings and calf muscles eases out slowly, also releasing tension in the hips. Even the core is naturally engaged while holding the pose, which also benefits the back. There is an overall musculoskeletal alignment taking place, with so many muscles of the body simultaneously engaged, which resonates back to making for a happy spine. Happy spine. Happy life!

And remember, like I said in my first down dog article, the goal of the pose is not about placing your heels on the floor. Your asana ends with weight in your heels, regardless of where they are in proximity to the floor. Anchor your pose between the heels of your hands and the heels of your feet. That's a good dog!

Modifications for this pose are numerous making it accessible to most people. Below are some reminders that will hopefully keep your dog active for years.

• Wrist issues: Elevate the heels of the hands or use your forearms.
• No strength: Hold the pose for a breath or two, not five or ten. If you notice your shoulders rising up toward your ears, relax your shoulders. If that's not possible, then release the pose into table top or embryo, and repeat down dog after a few breaths. Also, start building upper body strength with the dolphin or forearm plank position.
• Neck tension: Be sure to elongate the crown of your head towards the space between your hands on the floor, keeping your ears positioned between your upper arms. Or, simply let your head relax and hang toward the floor.
• Tight hamstrings: Soften or bend the knees, but try and continue to elongate the pose toward your sit bones. Softening your knees will also take tension off the back and keep the pose from shifting forward into your shoulders.
• Heels not engaged: Place a block under your heels just to practice getting the feel of anchoring and completing the pose with weight applied and active engagement through your heels.
• Collapsing in the pose: Make sure you are breathing and that the whole pose is engaged and activated. Rest when you need to.